A DUFFIELD man grabbed a knife following a row and threatened to slit his wife “like a fish”, a court heard.

Justin and Alison Hodges – married for 15 years – were having financial problems and she was the main bread-winner.

Magistrates at Chesterfield were told that a row blew up in the family home on January 28 after he had been drinking heavily.

He grabbed her neck, pushed her backwards onto a staircase, grabbed her face and “pushed her around like a rag doll”, said Sarah Haslam, prosecuting.

Mrs Hodges ran into a bedroom and held the door closed. But he threatened to fetch a knife and slit her throat.

She heard him rummaging in a kitchen drawer and he returned and tried to force open the bedroom door.

Hodges, 38, then told her he had cut off his finger.

She called police and he threatened: “When I am out of hospital I’m going to cut you like a fish”, added Mrs Haslam.

He was arrested and later told police he had been drinking before the incident and he could not recall assaulting his wife or picking up a knife and threatening her.

But he accepted she would not have invented the allegations.

Hodges, currently staying at an address in Main Street, Awsworth, near Ilkeston, admitted charges of assault and threats to kill.

Sentence was adjourned until Wednesday, March 7 for Probation Service reports.

Hodges was granted bail on condition he did not go to the marital home in Meadow Vale, Duffield.

“He recognises he has a serious drink problem,” said Phil Bloore, mitigating for Hodges.

“There was a sudden outburst and an incident on the stairs before she locked herself in the bedroom.

“There was always the door between them and she didn’t see the knife.

“He went to the kitchen drawer and cut two tendons in his finger.

“Police arrived and saw him in a semi-conscious state.”

Mr Bloore added: “She has withdrawn the complaint and doesn’t want to be involved in any proceedings.”

IF YOU have a story for The News, then go along to the Strutts Centre in Belper today and tell our reporter about it.

Rhys Thomas will be at the Derby Road venue from 10am until 12 midday.

A PUBLIC meeting to highlight the links between health and keeping active is being held at Belper Town FC tomorrow, February 23.

Bosses from Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Trust will discuss an agenda that includes progress to NHS Foundation status and performance reports.

Kirsteen Farrar, Trust secretary, said: “By meeting in the football club we hope people will find it a friendly and welcoming venue and will be encouraged to come along to hear what’s happening in their community health services.”

The meeting, at the club off Bridge Street, starts at 9am. Anyone who would like to ask a question at the meeting should contact Kirsteen on 01773 525065 or by email at kirsteen.farrar@dchs.nhs.uk.

Librarians organise information in various forms - from books to periodicals to computer materials - to meet the requirements of their library users’ needs.

Their main aim is to help readers find and access the information and books they are looking for.

They are also responsible for acquiring and organising various types of information and resources for the community.

This information covers a wide range of topics – from business and careers to crafts and gardening.

Librarians must determine what information their library users require and what the best way of offering this information is – this is increasingly in the form of information technology, using computers and the internet.

Librarians must therefore be fairly good with technology and also personable to enable them to build good communicative relationships with their users.

Certain positions within libraries are open to those without degrees. In these circumstances, at least five GCSEs are required.

However, anyone looking to advance within this career must have a degree and relevant post-graduate qualification.

A career as a librarian is open to all graduates, although certain degrees are often favoured. These include:

l Librarianship

l Information Science / Management

l Computer Science

l Software Engineering

Graduates without a degree in one of these fields will then require a post-graduate diploma or MA/MSc in Librarianship or Information Science / Management.

The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) also offers a post-graduate qualification.

Non-graduates with experience in this sector may be admitted to post-graduate courses at individual universities’ discretion.

Librarians must have the following skills:

l Good IT skills

l Good communication skills

l Enthusiasm and motivation

l Teamwork skills

l Flexibility

l Good organisational skills

Specific subject knowledge may also be needed for certain libraries, for example in universities or hospitals.

Graduate/trainee salaries are typically paid £11,000 - £18,000.

These salaries may increase to around £25,000 after ten to fifteen years of experience.

Of course, librarians in senior management positions may earn as much as £36,000 and top salaries begin at £61,000. Salaries vary greatly depending on location, skills and level of responsibility.

Many librarians are able to work part-time although very few are self-employed due to the nature of the job.

]]> 1.4269427 Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:38:01 +0000 http://www.belpernews.co.uk/heading_skyward_with_the_air_medics_1_4255064

In a small Portakabin behind the main terminal of East Midlands Airport – a lifesaving operation is taking place 365 days a year.

And I have been lucky enough to spend a day with the team to see how the charity funded Derbyshire Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance (DLRAA) works.

“It’s a changing job, it’s extremely interesting, it’s rewarding and it is unlike any other helicopter job that I’ve done – and I’ve done a lot!” Pilot Ian Welsh, 59, of Duffield, tells me before we take to the air at around 7am.

The crew captain has racked up more than 8,000 flying hours in his career as a helicopter pilot – 18 years of which saw him serving as an airman in the army.

And at 9.30am we are called out to our first job.

An infant has suffered a fit in a Peak District village – 60 miles away as the crow flies.

But in the speedy Agusta chopper we are touching down in the High Peak in under 20 minutes.

Luckily the youngster is not in a critical condition when paramedic Dave Roberts, of Midland Road, Heanor, and Dr Pam Hardy, of Elgin, Morayshire, arrive. The High Peak is a common call out spot for the team – especially in icy conditions – due to the location.

On the return to base the crew are called again mid-air. An 18-year-old girl was involved in a road accident in her car on an icy main road near Ashbourne, and due to the remote location, the air ambulance is the first on scene.

After being forced to touch down on a precarious slope, Pam and Dave deliver vital care to the frightened teenager, fitting a neck brace and ensuring she is safe to travel in a road ambulance to hospital.

It’s all in a day’s work for Dave, who formerly worked as a paramedic in Derby before taking to the air.

“I wanted something more challenging,” he said when we had a brief moment to chat earlier in the day. “Something out of my comfort zone, a bit different. It’s very rewarding – especially when people come back to say thank you. It puts it all into perspective.”

In the afternoon the air team face its toughest job of the day.

A man in his 40s has suffered a serious motorbike accident and is in a critical condition in north Derbyshire. The head injury needs to be treated by specialists and his best chance of survival is at North Staffordshire Royal Infirmary in Stoke-on-Trent.

Here it is easy to see why the service is so important. Not only can the helicopter team provide him with care at the scene – Captain Ian makes the journey to Stoke in 12 minutes.

The whole operation – from leaving the base to touching down in Staffordshire – takes just 45 minutes.

It is why the funding the charity receives – via its 11 shops, sponsorship drives and generous donations, is vital.

Every journey costs it £1,400. And the craft itself was no snip at £5million. But as all the crew agree, keeping the DLRAA in the sky is worth every penny.

FAKE booze seizures have increased across the Derbyshire – prompting health fears.

New findings by trading standards officers have revealed gangs are exploiting the rising demand for cheap alcohol by tapping into counterfeit booze.

Derbyshire County Council has now launched a drive to combat criminals – and is set to carry out visits to off-licences during the next few weeks.

NHS Derbyshire County has issued a stark warning about the impacts of drinking fake booze.

Public health consultant Alison Pritchard said: “Drinking fake alcohol can case very serious health problems such as blindness and liver or kidney failure.

“In some cases it can also result in death.”

The county council has also revealed a sharp increase in fake cigarettes being sold across the area.

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